Associate Professors Dr Tammy Lai-Ming Ho and Dr Jason S Polley are amongst two of the mentors for the After_ programme, which is organised by Zolima Citymag and financially support from Design Trust. The programme asked selected young Hongkongers to ‘reflect on the pandemic’s impact in prose, poetry, video and photography’:

It was an opportunity to nurture talent while reflecting on how Covid-19 has changed Hong Kong and its society. We called the project After_ because, in reflecting on what happened in 2020, we also need to keep an eye on what will happen in the years to come. After all, the future can only be illuminated by the past. 

The mentors include, according to Zolima Citymag, ‘some of Hong Kong’s leading creative figures. Poet-scholars Tammy Lai-Ming Ho and Jason S Polley mentored aspiring poets. Videotage co-founder Ellen Pau worked with young videographers, while photojournalist May James lent her expertise to up-and-coming photographers. Zolima CityMag managing editor Christopher DeWolf worked with fiction and nonfiction writers. Artist Kingsley Ng and [Art & Culture Outreach] founder May Fung also helped with the vetting process.’

Dr Ho’s mentee is Neryhs Wo Yui-chi, who is a recent fine arts graduate of the Chelsea College of Arts, while Dr Polley’s mentee is Cherie Chun, a fashion design student at Central Saint Martins. An exhibition showcasing all mentees’ work (prose, poetry, video and photography) will take place from 22 January to 10 February 2021 at Arts & Culture Outreach (6/F, Foo Tak Building, 365-367 Hennessy Road, Wan Chai). More information can be found here.

(Friday 15 January 2021)